MIA?

I'm still here.

Simply been busy teaching here.

And here.

Writing this.

Keeping track of these.

AND creating in my new crafty space when I get the chance.

(There's been a bit of knitting mixed in there too of course!)

Last week at the shop we announced our Holiday Stocking Challenge and of course, I can't back down from a challenge. (Even though employees can't win anything.) So I've been working on making this...


into a lovely holiday stocking for our display window. I am almost finished, the bead embellishment (something new to me) is slowing me down a bit.

I also cracked into my mini Moda HoneyBuns (a gift given to me by my dear friend Jen last spring) and whipped together this little bag to hold all my knitting notions.


It ended up being a little bigger than I expected, but bigger just means I have room in which to grow. (Tee Hee.) I also love that every time I grab my scissors or stitch markers from under the flap, I think of Jen and her friendship. That is truly a gift that comes with using handmade goodies!

(Even with all the busy I made sure to take time this weekend to hit the movie theater for this. I mean I may be a 30-something wife and mother of 2, but I'm not dead! Everyone needs a chance to drool over hot wolf boys sneak away to enjoy a chick flick with a friend now and then.)


~namaste~

Creating a Space for Creating...

We live in a small 3 bedroom house. Even though we have 2 kids, they thankfully are happy to share a room, leaving our 3rd bedroom to serve as an office-plus. The "plus" part has changed over the years from: "room in which we pile crap we're too lazy to take downstairs", to sewing room, to spare bedroom, to once again...sewing room!

We've been busy around here the past 2 days creating a little change. Thanks to furniture moving help from my hubby and fabric sorting/folding help from my oldest daughter (whose growing interests in all things crafty makes me so proud), the spare bed now occupies the space in our unfinished basement where I had set up a dedicated craft space last fall. In exchange a good portion of my work surfaces and fabric goodness has has moved in to our warm, cozy little office that has a WINDOW TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. (The biggest draw back to the basement...no real windows. Well that and no real heat and concrete floors...but that's nothing a space heater didn't help.)


Working at the quilt shop and planning out my latest list of "items to knit/make and gift" has totally got my creative mojo flowing again. I decided since our spare bed only sleeps a visitor a few times a year, the "extra" space in the far corner of our office could be much better used as a creation station. I've brought up the old drop leaf table given to me as a friend ("because it would make you a great craft table") so that I have plenty of cutting and work space. Plus my little sewing desk, that I simply adore, has taken it's rightful place right in front of the window.


I've put my favorite 2 Longerberger craft baskets to work storing stash (both of the woolen and woven varieties) under my work table. In addition to an old Yaffa block tower from college that houses quilting fabrics, UFOs, and inspiration magazines. (Not the most ascetically pleasing, but functional and I can hide it behind the closet door if need bed.)



In the process of sorting I uncovered a fair number of UFOs. Some which will remain such forever...


And some, started much more recent, who are simply waiting for finishing touches...




Gotta go...the iron is hot, my fabric is waiting...


~namaste~

Unexpectedly Frogged...

I have been super excited to start my first pair of socks with "knitting season" in full swing. So I ordered some a whole set of sock sized double point needles (DPNs) and sock yarn. By Thursday night I couldn't wait any longer to cast on...yes, even with 2 other projects currently on the needles. Variety is the spice of life.

Do you want the good news or bad news first?

The good news...things seemed to be going well after I finally decided on which basic pattern I wanted to use. Size and stretch seemed appropriate and I LOVE the plum tweed Stroll yarn from Knit Picks that I decided to start my sock knitting adventure with.

The bad news...my new 4 inch DPNs and I were not getting along. I've knit most my projects on DPNs thus far, but 6 inch DPNs. What I didn't realize is how the shorter needles would rest IN my palm rather than along side. A fact that soon resulted in little sore hot spots in my palms. Not cool.

So, today I mailed back my set of tiny needles.


And I frogged the short (but good) start to my first sock.


And I have ordered both 6 inch DPNs in size 3 AND a 40 inch circular in size 3 to try a couple different methods to get my growing stash of sock yarns from balls to wearable pairs. Oh how I can't wait for the visit from the UPS man later in the week!


~namaste~

Substitution Saturday...

I missed posting for Fab Friday.

But I have a perfectly acceptable excuse.

I was too busy having fun with these two...



And what a great day we did have! Slept in a bit. (No school for my oldest thanks to parent-teacher conferences.) Yoga with my lovely senior class. Then BEAUTIFUL weather meant we could enjoy traveling by foot all around downtown. We visited our NEW AMAZING community library. Followed by a stop at our favorite coffee shop for milk, biscotti, and a latte. The girls read their books while I worked on some webby stuff for the quilt shop. After some lunch at home and play time over at a neighbor's, said neighbor asked if we would join them at the park...and how could we not. My hubby got to leave work early on his last day (new job starts bright and early Monday morning) which meant he got to spend a little time enjoying the nice weather too before we all went out to celebrate his great new change at our favorite local deli and pub. A family movie, Disneynature's earth, drew the day to a close...and gave me time to knit on my newly cast on sock! (I can hardly believe I am making a sock. OK...hopefully a pair, but you gotta start with one, right?)

A fabulously fun Friday it was!


~namaste~

Yarnica!

What is Yarnica you ask?


Well, last year, after receiving my first yarn order from Knit Picks, I decided to declare yarn delivery days as their own holiday...and Yarnica was born! The cool think about Yarnica...it can happen several times a year, at any time. Celebration is not tied to a month, a day, a date...budget allowing you could celebrate Yarnica every week if you wanted. (OK, that might be a little over the top....maybe.)


Some of this yarn is bound for Christmas gifts so I can't really reveal it's envisioned purpose yet. (That is, my PLAN is to use it for Christmas gifts...we'll see if I can successfully knit that much with only the 7 weeks or so that is left before the big day!)


I'm guess you knitters out there can make a guess at what some of that fabulous wooliness is destined to become...



Aren't they pretty? (And so tiny. Yikes!!!)

I have a hard time ordering yarn without a book...or two. My picks this time did not disappoint. I'll post some reviews in the coming weeks...at this point let me just say I think either would make a fine gift for a knitter in you life this holiday season. (You know, in case you're planning to knit more yardage than humanly possible between now and then and just don't have time to get it all. OR if you knot a knitter, much like myself, who just can't seem to ever have a big enough library.)


~namaste~

Letting Go...

Feels a little like giving up.

I often find it hard to distinguish between the two.

I'd like to think that letting go means you have set an intention, worked towards reaching your goal to the best of your ability, and then are able to release your pursuit without regrets if it becomes clear that the path you have chosen is not right for you at that time.

But for me it still feels a little like just giving up.

Nine years ago I "applied" to massage therapy school. I use "applied" somewhat loosely because it's not as if there was any requirements to be "accepted" beyond showing interest and putting down a small deposit to hold my spot in the class of incoming students. It didn't work for me to start at that time so I set the pursuit aside.

Approximately 9 months ago I made contact with the school again expressing my interest in joining them for my training, feeling that while still not "perfect" timing, now was a more realistic time to pursue the adventure of returning to school. I once again applied after visiting their new location, paid my deposit to hold my spot and then had to defer my spot in the fall class with intentions to begin this coming spring. Today I responded to an email inquiring if I will indeed be joining the new spring class, sadly informing the school that attendance at this time just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me. I had started to make peace with this decision a few weeks ago, but it's so much more tangible now that I have actually expressed my plans "out loud" to the school.

On many levels I am disappointed. I love learning. Love being a student. I love learning about the body and how to care for our beings on many levels. I honestly felt as if working towards obtaining my LMT credentials were a key part in continuing to work the way I want to work...passionately with a schedule that still allows for plenty of family focused time. And, honestly, it was one step closer for me to answering that age old question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

But sometimes the universe has things in store for us that we don't understand. That we don't expect. Such as my new gig with my local quilt shop. And good news regarding my husband's career pursuits...mainly that he has a clearer path and is looking forward to taking his next step down that path on Monday! And as cliche as it sounds, I feel as if my growing love of knitting (along with realizing how essential regular chances to express my creativity are to my overall happiness) is somehow going to be tied into my future endeavors. I'm not sure how, but I just have this gut feeling...and I normally trust my gut.

Life will move on...and it will continue to be fabulous and challenging and rewarding and disappointing and so many other things I can't yet even imagine because that's how life is...ever changing. So I'm just trying to let this disappointment go...and let it not feel like I'm giving up.


~namaste~

Halloween 2009, Check...

I have a confession...I have a love-hate relationship with Halloween. Love it because it's the one time of year I regularly get to put my crafty skills to work for the enjoyment of my girlies. Hate...because I have to put my crafty skills to work for the enjoyment of my girlies...and there is a deadline involved. (Which, honestly, is a good thing or costumes would never get finished!)

Out of the 13 combined Halloween costumes the girls have worn, I have made 10 of them...by my choice. OK...more like by my insistence.

The exceptions:

• There was the year that our oldest used a store bought costume gifted to her by her grand-parents.
  
• Last year our youngest recycled this costume which I had originally made for our oldest. (It is by far my FAVORITE costume creation thus far.)
• This year we borrowed the monkey costume as it just seemed like the smart thing to do on so many levels.

Some years I'm so excited to figure out how to put together whatever is requested by our brown-eyed girls. This year was not one of those. No real reason. I just wasn't as excited as say the year Lexi was the Tooth Fairy and Brea a newborn Tooth. Or the year Lexi was a duck...complete with tie-dyed leggings.

Regardless of the requested costume, you will normally find me the night before working into the wee hours putting on the finishing touches. This year was even worse than that as I found myself madly ironing on the last of the tiger stripes just 30 minutes before we wanted to depart for the neighborhood trick-or-treating walk.

Every year I vow to start earlier...to just give in to store bought costumes...to simplify.

And then, just as happened Saturday night, one of my daughters walks up, gives me a big hug and says "Thanks Mommy for making me a great costume!"

As she bounds away with a giant smile on her face, or every time I hear the proud words "My Mom made my costume!", it's right then and there that I know there is no hope...next year on October 30th (hopefully NOT the 31st again) you'll find me sleepily working away on the final details of different costumes.

And I will hate it...and I will LOVE it.

(BTW, more pics of this year's tricksters can be seen here.)


~namaste~